At the beginning of fall semester, the WSA promised to work toward a series of goals that we laid out in a preliminary agenda. This is a rough catalog of our accomplishments thus far this year:
*Successfully lobbied for the creation of the Middletown-New Haven shuttle
*Worked with Financial Aid and the Office of Finance to provide additional financial aid for the more expensive housing options where Juniors and Seniors typically live
*Created an appeals process for fire safety and damages fines that includes both students and staff
*Created a process by which students have an opportunity to advise the administration on the budget-making process
*Made a significant impact on the selection of a new dining service provider, in Bon Appetit, with a dining plan that is far more attuned to student needs
*Worked with Dean Teraguchi to write a grant that would bolster collaboration between Wesleyan, Traverse Square, and the Middletown Police
*Working with faculty, staff, and student groups to create an annual ‘Social Justice Day’ to occur in Fall 2008
*Worked with Physical Plant and Fire Safety to set up a variety of fire safety seminars throughout the year that provide students with $100 of relief on their fines for 2007-08
*Worked with Residential Life to provide a small advantage in GRS to those students that “got screwed” in the previous year’s lottery
*Worked with the Dean’s Office to find funds to support the New York Times Readership Program for 2007-2008
*Expanded student voice on the Board of Trustees
*Coordinated events which made more Trustees accessible to students than ever before
*Expanded student representation at Faculty meetings from two to four
*Raised the Student Activities Fee, in order to create more opportunities for student programming on campus
*Worked with the Office of the Dean of the College to create the Campus Climate Log, and clarify policy for bias incidents and hate crimes
*Reached out to the community through the Presidential Search, including student group visits and open forums
*Created a ‘Student-Faculty Leadership Committee’ to ensure better collaboration between students and faculty
*Endorsed the Faculty’s proposal for higher wages for Faculty
*Made available a Social Justice Fund in order to combat hate speech and injustice on campus, in response to the February 11 Clark Hall incident
*Passed resolution endorsing the attainment of a LEED Gold Standard for the new Science Center.
*Set up a fundraising model that may be able to ensure the long-term survival of the New York Times Readership Program
*Worked with Residential Life to clarify the process of obtaining housing upon return from study abroad
*Worked with the Undergraduate Residential Life Committee to expand WesCard access to residential buildings on campus
*Obtained student representation on the Molecular and Life Sciences Building Committee
*Made significant progress on the creation of a Cognitive Science program, and a Middle East Studies program
*Made significant progress toward the creation of an advisor feedback form
*Created Faculty Resource Guide, to be published soon, that makes it easier for student groups to find faculty speakers on the issues they care about
*Worked with University Relations to maximize student contact with President Roth for his visit on April 27
*Passed resolution acknowledging the challenges faced by students of color, financial aid students, and other marginalized communities on campus and suggesting several strategies to improve the experiences of these groups on campus
*Made significant progress toward gaining access to the Wesleyan TV station
*Created the ‘Tree of Power’ to help students navigate the Wesleyan administration
*Successfully lobbied to create several new thesis carrels for 2007-2008
*Increased recognition for student leaders on campus through Student Leadership Awards
*Deepened connections with University Relations
*Rebuilt the WSA website, to be released soon
*Worked with the EPC to re-evaluate the Academic Review process, which resulted in some minor changes
*Invigorated the Endowment Advisory Committee, which has voted on several proxy resolutions this year
*Conducted an all-campus survey to learn more about the needs of students on campus
*Working with the Office for Community Relations- to create a program to provide computer resources to Middletown community members
*Created the Freeman Athletic Center Advisory Committee
*Obtained student representation on the Middletown/Wesleyan Historic Buildings Committee
* Increased student input in ITS policy
As should be evident from this list, the WSA has accomplished a lot on your behalf this year. WSA has also expanded student access to high-level decision-making at Wesleyan through our participation in the budget-making process, our connections with University Relations, and our partnership with the Faculty. Elections are coming up and if you want to change things at Wesleyan, take advantage of the student power created through the WSA and run for office. WSA meetings are every Sunday at 7 PM. There is an open student forum at the beginning of the meeting where you can bring up any issue you like.
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